Former defensive end Erik Hansen was drafted in the seventh round of the XFL Draft by the Seattle Sea Dragons.
 
After Hansen graduated from Upper Iowa, he worked out in two different pro days for NFL scouts in Atlanta, Georgia and at the University of Northern Iowa. The Burlington, Illinois product went undrafted, but after the NFL draft, Jim Haslett, the current coach of the XFL's Seattle Sea Dragons and former NFL All-Pro linebacker and Coach of the Year at New Orleans, called Hansen to talk about his future.
 
"Coach Haslett explained how great of an opportunity the XFL could be for somebody in my situation and how it can act as a stepping stone to the NFL," said Hansen. "Without a doubt, I knew it was the direction I wanted to go and I went down to a showcase in Texas for the XFL. I felt like I put up good numbers and got to listen to the owners of the league, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Dany Garcia, talk about all the benefits of the XFL. I was sold."
 
Following the showcase, several XFL teams reached out and showed their interest in Hansen, but in the end, Coach Haslett and the Sea Dragons committed to the former Peacock standout and called his name in the seventh round of their draft.
 
Hansen continued, "It has been a really amazing experience so far. I've had a ton of Seattle fans reach out to me and show their support. Upper Iowa University prepared me so well for this opportunity and I constantly find myself resorting back to the core values I learned while I was at Upper Iowa. I definitely would not be in the position I am now without the UIU coaching staff, my teammates, as well as the University as a whole.
 
The Peacock defensive end wrapped up a storied career in Peacock blue and white in 2021. Following his final season, Hansen was named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 as a member of the "Squad" and earned his second All-NSIC South Division First Team Defense selection. In 2019, Hansen was named to the Don Hansen All-America Third Team honors, Don Hansen Super Region Four team, D2CCA All-Super Region Four team, and the All-NSIC South Division First Team.
 
In 2021, Hansen was a terror for offensive lines to deal with posting 46 tackles including 32 solo stops and added two fumble recoveries. Hansen registered 20 tackles for loss, which ranked 10^th nationally and first in the conference, including 8.5 sacks, good for 31^st in the nation and tops among NSIC defenders.
 
Hansen ended his career in Peacock blue with the most career sacks in Upper Iowa history with 24.5 and the third-most tackles for loss in a career with 43.5.
 
Training camp for the XFL is slated for January 2023 with games set to start in February.